Transcript Staff Writer
Charles Rushton always loved taking photos, but when he moved to Norman after retiring as a librarian, he decided to focus more on his talent.
He enrolled in the Masters of Fine Arts in Photography program at the University of Oklahoma and graduated in 2004.
This February, he released his first book, "Insights," which features 121 of his black and white portraits taken over more than 20 years.
Rushton will be available to sign copies of his book starting 2 p.m. Saturday at Hastings, 2300 W. Main St.
Rushton said he didn't start out with the intention, but most of his work has been in portraits.
"It's what I do best," he said. "You take pictures and find out what you do well and then you stick to it."
Rushton is a talented photographer that Norman is privileged to have, said Victor Koshkin-Youritzin, David Ross Boyd professor of art history at OU. Koshkin-Youritzin had Rushton as a student while he was pursuing his graduate degree.
"He was one of the best students I ever had, and we became friends," Koshkin-Youritzin said. He wrote the foreword to "Insights" and was the curator for a recent showing of Rushton's work at the Goddard Center in Ardmore.
"The book's been very well-received by everyone who's seen it," Koshkin-Youritzin said.
Rushton's book includes portraits from his series Fathers, Couples, Children and Advocate of the Arts and other portraits. Many of the photos are environmental portraits that use the other elements in the portrait to tell about the subject.
When taking a portrait, Rushton said he often visits people in their house or studio and just decides at that time what would make a good photo.
"I shoot intuitively," he said. "I don't really plan out my shooting."
Rushton teaches digital photography at Oklahoma City Community College and Moore-Norman Technology Center. Since his book was launched, Rushton said he's still taking photographs. He's focusing more on "found art" lately. Many of his photographs of garbage can be found at www.jpgmag.com/people/crushton.
Julianna Parker 366-3541 jparker@normantranscript.com
